Rockin' It My Way

Mais oui, I'm still here... I have no excuse really for my recent extended absence(s), aside from the fact that I've been lacking in motivation, focus and confidence enough to express my thoughts coherently and eloquently.

But that's neither here nor there at this point: I'm here, I have a lot on my mind, and now I want to get (some of) that out there into the blogosphere. So here goes...

About a month ago, Michelle over at Scribbit gave me a shout-out as a Rockin' Girl Blogger. (No, I promise I didn't forget! It's just taken me some time to get around to it...) I wanted to take the opportunity to share the love, because it always feels good to know that someone out there is reading, and it's even better to share some great reads with others. Thank you again, Michelle, for thinking of me and for sharing my modest little blog with your readers.

Now, mind you, my blogroll grows and expands as the days go by, but I have to admit that I do tend to spend a lot of my time on expat blogs, probably because I can relate to a lot of them, I feel a sort of bond, and we all make up a kind of community around here. But as you can see from my sidebar, I certainly don't limit myself to those blogging from France! I have a lot of favorite reads, but today I want to honor some gals I've come across in the past few months and who I feel definitely deserve to be singled out for their creativity, their consistency, their sense of humor, their sincerity -- plus much more!

* Amy at Chitlins and Camembert - Amy's been blogging from France for almost two years (if I'm not mistaken, and according to her archives!) and she is a daily read for me, not-to-miss. From chronicling her experiences in having a baby (and now two!) in France (and how much this costs, broken down fee by fee) to buying and refurbishing a house in the French countryside, Amy always keeps me entertained, and she adds in a great sense of humor with her pragmatism and sincerity. She just makes me smile... I hope to have the opportunity to meet her one day!

* Wendy at A Baguette on My Table - Another blogger I admire for her gutsiness and honesty, Wendy really knows how to use her writing to get a point across. And she doesn't mince her words! But this is what's so refreshing about her: Wendy shares with us how much she has evolved in her experiences here in France as a single mother, and now as a woman who has found love through blogging. I admire her in more ways than one! She's heading off for new adventures in the UK pretty soon, but I'm sure she'll have lots more to share with us along the road.

* Little Fugitive in France - A little gem in the wilderness, that perle rare that is far too often unfound or overlooked, Little Fugitive writes the way I believe she must play her music -- an artist at heart, she conveys her emotions through her words and shares what is going on in her mind with grit and passion. When I finish reading one of her posts, I have to sit back and think about it for a moment, let it sink in and wrap around me. She definitely has a gift, and like I said, I imagine her music must be an even stronger expression of this talent. Perhaps one day I'll get to see her perform, if I'm lucky!

* Reb at Uh Oh Spaghettios - I tumbled onto Reb's blog a few months back, and I love how she shares little personal accounts of her life as well as the progress her daughter is making in the language arena. As a lover of children's books myself, her recent posts about her daughter's discovery of and new interest in books warmed my heart...

* Emily in France - I had the pleasure of meeting Emily this past spring when she and a friend came to Paris for a visit, and Emily is just as down-to-earth and warm in person as she is on her blog. She shares with us, once again, her adventures, trials and tribulations in France, specifically in the Haute-Savoie region in her case, in a beautiful town called Annecy.

* And, last but not least, my dear friend Jenn at NPLI, who will make you laugh guaranteed, and if you are not reading her yet, run-do-not-walk over to her URL to get your daily giggle. She knows how to tell a tale, dialogues included, and she's a fab artist to boot. All that in one adorable package! Canadian by birth, she's come a long way since she arrived in France more than 10 years ago, and she has a lot to share with us as a result, as an expat, a mom, a professional, and an artist. Words cannot express how lucky I feel to have met her in the blogosphere.

So that's it for now... If you don't already know these blogs, I hope you'll enjoy diving into them as much as I do! So much talent, so little time...